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Instructional Design Activity: Needs Analysis

 

Overall Instructor Rating: Satisfactory

Ratings explanation:

  • Exemplary - A model answer in almost every way (this is given out very rarely).
  • Satisfactory - Very well done; you've met the expectations of the assignment. There are some minor problems, so read my feedback well.
  • Marginal Pass - You pass, but there are lots of issues to consider. Read my feedback very carefully and be sure you understand the points/issues I raise.
  • Not satisfactory, redo and resubmit - The assignment was not completed appropriately. I am concerned that you do not understand the process well enough yet. To get credit for the assignment, you need to redo it, most probably on another topic. Read and consider my feedback very carefully before redoing.

Instructor's Overall Feedback:

Yes, I think your responses show a good basic grasp of needs assessment. I hope my specific feedback below is of help. Also, I noticed you chose not to make any revisions based on your buddy's feedback. I'm wondering if you felt the feedback was not valuable, or you just felt that your initial responses were still adequate (or maybe you ran out of time?!).

 

1. Preliminary: Describe the context within which this potential instructional problem takes place. This will pinpoint where the problem is located. If instruction is deemed necessary, this will be the place where it will be designed and implemented.

a. List the context, also known as the "system of interest".

Your final response:

MIST 5640 - Internet Technologies Course

b. Describe or show how the context relates to the bigger environment. Show how this context relates to other levels of the system within which it works.

Your final response:

The Internet Technologies course is offered within the Management Information Systems Department in the Terry College of Business. This course is required for undergraduate majors in MIS and is offered in students’ senior year. The course is to teach about telecommunications and e-commerce. The course utilizes classroom teaching, and WebCT. There is currently no formal text for the course but a course pack that has been developed by the instructors. This course is not a capstone course but first shows the links between all MIS courses because of the nature of telecommunications and then gives a link back to the students’ business training in the e-commerce section.

The instructor's feedback to step 1:

This is a good start. Obviously, you could elaborate further.

2. Symptoms of a problem. Write a brief description of some symptoms that make you stop and wonder if something is wrong.

Your final response:

Students are not doing well on the routing portion of Test 1 Students do not seem to show confidence about the material related to routing when quizzed in class. Our students are being passed over during interviews. I get questions about routing e-mailed to me from students that have graduated.

Using the evidence cited above, describe why you believe that these symptoms signal a problem. Keeping these questions in mind, describe the reasons for identifying these symptoms as problematic.

Your final response:

Routing is one of the fundamental principles of the Internet. MIS students will not have to configure routers, but the need to understand how they work to diagnose a host of problems along with design of new companies.

The instructor's feedback to step 2:

Yes, this looks like something is up, especially from the point of view of an instructor who teaches routing.

3. Preliminary Problem Statement. Based on 1 and 2, write a preliminary draft problem statement. Your context should be the subject of the statement. This is just the initial pass -- the statement will be revised in subsequent steps.

Your final response:

MIST 5640 does not adequately teach students about routing fundamentals.

The instructor's feedback to step 3:

Yes, this is a very solid draft problem statement: succinct and appropriately puts the system of interest as the subject of the statement.

4. Verify the problem and determine specific needs. Two things will now happen concurrently. First, you need a systematic procedure to identify and collect data in order to verify that a problem exists. Second, you must identify information that the data sources may help uncover.

 

Data sources (who, what)

Information gathered

What did you find? (Needs)*

Example: Interview participants in course; administer class survey; administer test of understanding.

Example: Participant opinions on IDAs and course; Participant score on test.

Example: Participants believe there is too much jargon (felt need); Participants don't understand ID vocabulary as compared to other classes (comparative need); Participants don't score above national average (comparative need); Participants don't/couldn't see the relation between their work and the ID process)

Your final response:

a. Interview students about routing pre and post class to assess understanding. b. Look at test questions related to routing. c. Interview companies that come to campus looking for MIS majors. d. Interview alumni. e. Check AACSB accreditation rules related to this course. f. Check CAIS recommendations related to this course. g. Check with other MIS programs and see find out what they are covering in terms of routing.

Your final response:

a. Students come in with little to no understanding of routing and leave with little to some. b. Students do not do as well on routing questions as they do on others during the same time period. c. Interviewers do not ask questions about routing. d. Alumni 3-8 years back feel fine about their understanding of routing. Alumni 1-3 years back do not feel good about their understanding. All of the Alumni felt that this was important. e. AACSB does not have any requirements. f. CAIS recommends that students get an understanding of routing but do not go into detail. g. Other MIS programs are covering OSPF and RIP in detail. They also cover ARP, which is not covered at all here.

Your final response:

a, b, f, g. Students at Terry need to get the same information about routing as other schools. (comparative) d. Students seem to not be getting the same understanding that they were in the past. (normative) d. Alumni feel Terry should emphasize routing and that an understanding of routing is important.(felt) g. Students at Terry should be learning about ARP as students at other schools are.(comparative)

*Note: You are not required to gather data; you can draw on your experience or imagination to list the data you might gather.

The instructor's feedback to step 4:

Very good. Very appropriate data sources with a clear logical progress to the needs identification. (I'm glad you include the label of the type of needs -- this really helps.)

5. Prioritize your list of needs.Which are most important? Why are they most important?

Prioritized needs

Reasons/evidence for priority

Your final response:

1. Alumni feel Terry should emphasize routing and that an understanding of routing is important.(felt) 2. Students at Terry need to get the same information about routing as other schools. (comparative) 3. Students at Terry should be learning about ARP as students at other schools are.(comparative) 4. Students seem to not be getting the same understanding that they were in the past. (normative)

Your final response:

The field of MIS is ever changing. We need to look to look to the future and not the past. Our Alumni give us the best look at what is being used now and what will be needed in the future for our students. Our students compete with students from other schools for jobs, we must therefore make sure that they have at least the same information that they do. All of the needs overlap and can be distilled further. The reason they were left separated was to show intent.

The instructor's feedback to step 5:

Looks fine. Not knowing your field, it's hard for me to gauge your reasons for this priority. (Your buddy's feedback that you should speak directly to the importance of routing in the MIS field seems good.)

6. Rewrite your problem statement. Take a moment to look carefully at the initial problem statement that you wrote. Revisit your prioritized needs and check if your problem statement is still accurate and appropriate.

Rewrite the problem statement here:

Your final response:

Students in MIST 5640 need a better understanding of Routing so that they may compete with students from other schools and do their jobs better once hired.

The instructor's feedback to step 6:

Actually, I prefer your first problem statement! I prefer the system of interest to be the subject of all problem statements (like in your draft). That way, it is clear where the instructional action needs to take place.

7. Identify the instructional goals. The last step in Needs Assessment is to list a few goals of instruction. Remember, not all goals can be solved through instruction. The instructional goals you identify will be the starting information for the next steps in the instructional design process. List the instructional goals in order of priority.

 

Instructional goals by priority

Reasons for importance

Your final response:

1. Cover ARP. 2. Rework RIP discussion and slides. 3. Rework OSPS discussion and slides.

 

Your final response:

Students at other schools cover ARP. This understanding may give students a greater insight into routing. RIP and OSPF are already covered but may need to be reworked to make sure they are up to date along with meshing with ARP discussion.

The instructor's feedback to step 7:

Good general instructional goals! The next step -- on the next IDA -- is to turn these goals into ones that can be evaluated in terms of student learning outcomes.